the gift of (winter) time

12/24/2010

drawing by liv lueneburger (8 years)

by carolyn mathews

“For the holidays, the gift I am giving myself is time with friends. Would you like to meet for coffee or lunch to catch up on things?”

When I received this email from a friend whom I haven’t seen for a while, I thought, “What a great idea!” The last two months of the year can be so busy for all of us with year-end deadlines looming at work and the social demands of the holiday season. In some geographic regions, winter weather creates havoc putting all plans on stand-by.

Based on all of this, I consider my friend’s idea of carving time out just to visit with friends the perfect gift – for her and for me. No worries about finding the perfect gift, only finding the right time. No returns, unless it’s a return visit. And there is no waste.

Even more, this gift can be passed along! That is just what we at north of neutral have decided to do for the end of the year. Instead of blogging, we have set the next two weeks aside to spend with family and friends. We will visit others and spend time at home appreciating what we work so hard to create and nurture.

We look forward to raising questions, sharing ideas and profiling interesting leaders again in the New Year.